ERDOGAN RECEIVES GERMAN AMBASSADOR
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday received German Ambassador to Ankara Wolf-Ruthart Born. Among the issues they discussed were Turkish-German bilateral relations and preparations for Erdogan’s three-day visit to Germany set for next week. /Star/
ERDOGAN, BABACAN TO ATTEND IMF, WB MEETINGS IN DUBAI
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank are set to hold their joint annual meetings in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates on Sept. 20-24. During the meetings, discussions are expected to focus on proper public administration as well as regional and global economic problems. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, State Minister Ali Babacan and other Turkish officials as well as bureaucrats and businessmen are expected to attend the meeting. During the gathering, Babacan will hold bilateral meetings with both IMF and World Bank officials. Kemal Dervis, the former economy minister and current opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy for Istanbul, is also to attend panels during the annual event, as is Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK) Chairman Engin Akcakoca. /Turkiye/
GEN. KILINC HANDS OVER NSC HELM TO SARIISIK
Gen. Tuncer Kilinc, the retiring secretary-general of the National Security Council (NSC), yesterday handed over the NSC helm to his successor, Gen. Sukru Sariisik. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, and other military and civilian officials were present at the handover ceremony. Addressing the gathering, Kilinc said that recently passed European Union harmonization reforms limited the NSC’s executive powers and areas of responsibility. “With these reforms, the NSC keeps its legal place, but has been left functionless,” contended Kilinc. The EU reforms also limit the authority of future NSC secretaries-general. Also speaking at the ceremony, Sariisik said that the nation’s social and political divisions were the cause of religious conflicts, ethnic discrimination, and reactionaryism. “Such developments damage Turkey deeply,” he argued. “Now our national security is much more important.” /All papers/
IRAQI TURKMEN REPRESENTATIVES MEET WITH GUL, URGE TURKISH TROOP DEPLOYMENT AS “ONLY WAY” TO ENSURE PEACE AND ORDER
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday met in Ankara with representatives of the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) representatives. ITF Ankara representative Ahmet Muratli and London representative Asif Sertturkmen presented to Gul detailed information on weekend Turkmen-Kurdish ethnic clashes in Kirkuk, northern Iraq which left 11 Turkmen dead. Accusing the US of failing to protect his community, Muratli urged Ankara to send troops to help establish peace and stability in Iraq. “The US pledged to bring peace and democracy to Iraq ... [But] we see that the Turkmen have been ignored and that peace has not been established in Iraq,” Muratli argued. “We regard the dispatch of Turkish troops to Iraq as appropriate. This is the only way peace and order can be ensured in Iraq.” For his part, Gul said, “It is not possible for us to accept the recent treatment of the Turkmen. We are in constant contact with the US, which provides authority in Iraq... We have reminded them [US officials] that they need to do their best to establish peace there." He also called for vigilance to prevent a repeat of the ethnic violence. "According to the information we received the incidents have died down, but everyone needs to be careful," Gul added. /All Papers/
NEW US AMBASSADOR EDELMAN PRESENTS LETTER OF CREDENTIALS TO SEZER
Eric Edelman, the new United States ambassador to Turkey, yesterday presented his letter of credentials to President Ahmet Necdet Sezer at the Cankaya Presidential Palace. Sezer wished all success to the new ambassador during his tenure in Turkey. /All Papers/
US COMMANDER IN KIRKUK: “WE’RE COOPERATING WITH TURKISH FORCES TO IMPROVE THE SITUATION”
Col. William Mayville, commander of the US 101st Airborne Division in Kirkuk, yesterday spoke to Turkish reporters in the northern Iraqi city. Regarding violence over the weekend which left 11 Iraqi Turkmen dead, Mayville said, “We have good coordination with the Turkish Special Forces and are cooperating on ways to prevent any repeat of these incidents.” Stressing that his troops were confiscating weapons from all local political groups, Mayville stressed that they were trying to improve the situation, adding that they were also holding meetings with Turkmen groups. /Turkiye/
CICEK: “THERE’S NO NEED FOR AN IMMEDIATE DECISION ON IRAQ TROOP DEPLOYMENT”
Speaking after yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said that there was no need for the government to make an immediate decision on sending troops to Iraq, adding that both international and domestic developments had been discussed during the meeting. “The instability in northern Iraq has spread to the entire country,” lamented Cicek. “Many groups are trying to benefit from this instability, and most regions are subject to provocative actions.” He further added that the next Cabinet meeting would be held in Sivas on next Friday, Sept. 4, to commemorate the 84th anniversary of the Sivas Congress, a key stepping stone on the road to the modern Turkish Republic. /All papers/
TALABANI: “WE DON’T WANT TURKISH SOLDIERS IN IRAQ”
Speaking yesterday to an Australian news agency in Sydney, visiting Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IKDP) leader and Iraqi Governing Council member Jalal Talabani stated that the IKDP did not want Turkey to deploy its troops in Iraq. “The council has clearly expressed to Washington its views on [possible] Turkish troop deployments,” said Talabani. “It opposes such deployment, since we believe that Turkey’s main aim is to dissolve the Kurdish parliament and to eliminate the regional government. The Iraqi people will find solutions to their problems by themselves. We don’t need intervention by Turkey or any other neighboring country. If the US withdraws from Iraq, nobody can prevent Turkish and Iranian soldiers from entering our country.” Meanwhile, protests over the deaths of 11 Iraqi Turkmen over the weekend continued yesterday in Istanbul. The protesters stated that they held both Talabani and Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) leader Massoud Barzani, the region’s two major Kurdish leaders, responsible for recent attacks on Iraqi Turkmen. “Kirkuk is Turkish, it will remain Turkish,” the protesters chanted, referring to the northern Iraqi city where the recent violence took place. /Hurriyet/
US TREASURY’S TAYLOR HOPES FOR TURKEY LOAN DEAL NEXT MONTH
In an interview with Reuters, Treasury Undersecretary for International Affairs John Taylor yesterday stated that he hoped the US and Turkey would sign an $8.5 billion loan deal at the end of September. "There was a [Turkish] technical team here [in Washington] last week and they made a lot of progress getting it narrowed down and what I would hope is -- it's not for sure at this point -- that in Dubai [US Treasury] Secretary [John] Snow and [Turkish Economy Minister] Ali Babacan make the agreement official," he said. The International Monetary Fund and World Bank are due to hold their annual meetings in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates on Sept. 23-24. Washington pledged a $1 billion grant to Turkey earlier this year to compensate the country for the economic cost of the Iraq war. Talks between Turkish and US officials on the details of the loan have gone on for months but Taylor said there is now “nothing very problematic” standing in the way of a deal. He said there was agreement that Turkey should carry out economic policies consistent with the country's $16 billion agreement with the IMF. /Hurriyet/
ESTONIAN FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS ANKARA
Estonian Foreign Minister Kristiina Ojuland yesterday arrived in Ankara to hold separate meetings with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to discuss a number of issues, including bilateral relations and international issues. Later, Ojuland signed a pact with Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan to eliminate double taxation between the two countries. Estonia is due to next May to join the European Union, which Turkey already has a Customs Union with and is hoping to join. /All papers/
SWEDISH POLITICIANS CALL FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF “KURDISTAN”
During a meeting in Stockholm, Sweden to mark the 83rd anniversary of the Treaty of Sevres, a number of Swedish politicians and intellectuals called for the establishment of a Kurdish state. The Swedish government also called on the European Union and the United Nations to support the idea and to put pressure on Turkey towards this end. Arguing that after Sevres Europeans “betrayed” the Kurds by signing the Treaty of Lausanne – which established modern Turkey – Kurdish journalist Kurdo Baksi urged that this alleged mistake be redressed. However, Turkey’s Ambassador in Stockholm Tomur Bayer blasted these assertions, calling them unfounded nonsense. “No one can resurrect the Sevres Treaty,” he said. “Any attempt to do so is pure folly. Turkey will forever stand firm and united.” /Hurriyet/